


Released Does not Always Equal Freedom

by SusanShining



Series: One-shots [5]
Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)
Genre: Broken Bones, Child Abuse, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Poison
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-10
Updated: 2020-11-10
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:34:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27494326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SusanShining/pseuds/SusanShining
Summary: Well, even though it’s likely, I highly doubt that Varian was sentenced to life-time in prison, despite how much of a jerk Fred is.So what if it was just one year?
Relationships: Quirin & Varian (Disney)
Series: One-shots [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1997542
Comments: 13
Kudos: 56





	Released Does not Always Equal Freedom

**Author's Note:**

> Not really satisfied with this, but I hope you enjoy!

He had been so close.  _ So close  _ to getting out.

He had been a good prisoner, never starting fights, no escape attempts, no back-talking the guards. Even though he was  _ highly  _ tempted to.

That had been the king's condition. 

One year in prison. 

If he could do that, then he would have ‘earned’ the right to be released.

That was what the king said.

That was what the king had  _ promised. _

And, unfortunately for him, promises had a habit of being broken.

\------

It had started off like any other day, he would wake up, and glared at Andrew, the man on the opposite side of the prison hallway. To be frank, the man was a creep. Kept trying to bait him into snapping or doing something against the rules. Luckily, the guards had noticed this and put a stop to it. 

Threatening people with solitary confinement could do that to people.

The man congratulated him on his ‘prison birthday,’ and for once, Varian smiled and thanked him, not wanting to taint the occasion with negative actions or words. Andrew seemed a bit shocked at this, and that only made Varian smile more.

The night had been normal, thankfully. No nightmares, no dreams either, but he would take what he could get. And when Pete and Stan came down the stairs, he couldn’t help but feel a jump of pride by how he had been during his sentence. Surely that once everyone knew about how well he behaved, they would forgive him, right?

The two men had apologized, cuffing prisoners was standard safety procedure, but the chains felt… wrong to be on him now that his time was up. Well, it was just for a few minutes, and then afterward, he could go back to helping his dad get out! And this time, he wouldn’t have to be fighting for his life anymore. The queen said that they were going to help him. And after the one-hundred-and-fifty-seventh time, he actually wanted to believe her.

They took him down the castle corridors, serving maids greeting him happily and giving him words of encouragement for getting this far. He greeted them back, smiling at each one and thanking them by name. After all, if it wasn’t for them, he probably wouldn’t have made it back to the point where he could smile again.

And then they had arrived in the courtroom, and Varian couldn’t hold back a shiver. He had to keep telling himself that he wasn’t in trouble, he had done good, they were going to let him free. This was only a formality, he wasn’t going to need to be put back down there again. He had changed. He regretted attacking everyone, and he was getting better.

And, if he was being honest, he could barely pay attention to what was being exchanged during the trial. He only looked up and spoke when asked questions, but other than that, he stayed silent and kept his gaze lowered, trying to seem as obedient and as small as possible.

And then it was over. The king signed his pardon, and the chains were removed. Arianna hurried him out of the room happily and brought him to a washroom, giving him a change of clothes to go into once he had taken his bath. And if he could be dramatic for a second, it felt  _ heavenly _ to finally be clean again.

Once he was done, Arianna pulled him in front of a mirror and he almost wanted to cry in relief. After all that time, not a thing had changed. Sure, he had gotten a bit taller, and his hair was longer, but he looked… normal again. His blue shirt was a familiar sight to see, they had given him back his apron and gloves, and when he felt the familiar weight of his goggles on his forehead, he could finally see his past self again. 

Not the rage-filled mess that he had been months prior, but… himself. The dorky alchemist that he used to be was beginning to come back. The child in him had not been killed off, just chased away for a while, and he was being welcomed back with open arms. The only thing that was missing would be Ruddiger, who was probably hiding out in the woods somewhere. There had been reports of him being sighted around Old Corona, now all they had to do was go fetch him, and Varian could finally be whole again.

But, of course, that had been when everything had gone wrong.

They had heard the alarm sounds echoing through the hallways. An early-warning system that he had recently helped install. It was a series of bells connected with strings that ran throughout the castle. It was to alert the guards to be on alert, (he hadn’t found a way to specify what, and where the threat was) and to tell the castle that there was something wrong. Something coming.

He briefly panicked, thinking that it was something about his release that caused the alarms to be triggered, but Arianna quickly shut that thought down. She assured him that whatever was happening, that it wasn’t his fault, but they should probably find out what was happening.

So they headed out the door, the queen’s personal knights escorting back to the throne room where they had planned to gather up their forces, finding safety in numbers. One guard suggested that perhaps Varian should leave, and Arianna agreed, telling him to evacuate to the tunnels with the castle staff, but he wasn’t leaving. She tried to argue, but he brought up the fact that he was on probation, and that he was technically not allowed to leave without an escort.

And so they reluctantly agreed, placing him at the side of the hall where it would make it easy for him to leave quickly, but also keep him in the sights of the royals and guards.

And then Andrew showed up.

He distantly remembered the man and Fredrick exchanging harsh words, both trying to prove the other wrong. Eventually, they thought that that was it. Andrew broke out, picked a fight, and would try to escape before he would be caught again. However, before the castle guards could close in, multiple ropes dropped down from the ceiling, and suddenly…

They were surrounded.

“It’s an ambush!” the Captain shouted, his men circling around the royals as Varian panicked, not knowing what to do. It seemed as if no one had noticed him. 

He briefly met Arianna’s eyes from across the room, wincing when she mouthed  _ “Go,”  _ but still couldn’t decide if he should leave yet. If he left, then he could notify the rest of the castle of what was happening. If he stayed-

_ “Captain!”  _ he heard the king shout, ripping him from his thoughts long enough to spot the armored man collapsing onto the ground. A purple light exploded outward from the corner of the room and everything went black.

\-------

“Wakey wakey kid,” a rough hand patted his cheek, snapping him out of his slumber.  _ What happened? _ The last thing he remembered was-

_ Dad. _

His eyes snapped open, darting around to get in touch with his surroundings. He was in a room, arms uncomfortably being pulled behind him, light only shining through a doorway and he winced at the sudden brightness, jerking his head to the side to escape the light, but his captor wouldn’t let him go so easily.

Grabbing his chin and tilting it out of the shadows, forcing the boy to blink hard, trying to adjust to the light, but it sent a searing headache into his mind and he gasped in pain.  _ Why was it so bright? _

“Awake now? Good.” the man in front of him said. Who was he? What happened? He- he was running through the storm and- and the princess-

“What happened to Rapunzel? Where am I? Who are you? Why-”

_ Slap. _

His head snapped to the side, cheek burning in pain and he gasped, tears welling up in his eyes.  _ What was happening? _

The man chuckled a bit at seeing the boy’s reaction. “Do you know how  _ long _ I’ve waited to do that?  _ One full year. _ And it was so easy too, now that you’re not hiding behind your precious  _ queen _ .” he gave Varian a smirk. “And where is she now? Oop- don’t lie.  _ I hate liars.” _

“I-” he stammered to try and think, but there were too many thoughts racing through his head. “I don’t-”

The man’s hand gripped his chin angrily, nails digging into his skin and Varian tried to hold back tears of pain when his head flared up again, sending flashes of…  _ something  _ that he couldn’t make out. A glowing rock, someone screaming,  _ Cassie-  _

The man seemed to be immune to his pain and studied Varian’s expression for a long minute before using his free hand to beckon someone into the room, carrying something small.  _ A cup? Were they going to let him drink water? _

“How much do you think he’ll need?” the woman holding the cup asked and the man thought for a bit before taking the item from her hand and abruptly forcing Varian’s mouth open, pouring bitter liquid into his mouth that threatened to overwhelm his senses. He wanted to spit it out as soon as it entered, but a firm hand keeping his mouth closed prevented that, forcing him to choke it down.

His head erupted in white-hot pain, too many images flashing in front of him to make sense of, but one memory stood out and he gasped, eyes snapping open and the man, at last, let go of him, stepping back as Varian glared up at him

“You  _ bastard. _ ” Varian finally spat, the events of the past year finally catching up to him. To be frank, it was overwhelming and he still didn’t understand what happened after the bright flash, but that wasn’t going to stop him. “What did you  _ do? _ ”

Andrew seemed unfazed by this reaction, the tips of his lips curved up in a smile. “Nothing that you need to concern yourself with. Now, allow me to ask this again.  _ Where is the queen?” _

“How should I know?” Varian spat, glaring daggers at the older man. “Were you too incompetent to find out yourself?”

The only response was another bruising slap.

Did this guy have  _ any  _ originality?

But he kept his thoughts inside as the older man began to pace. Wincing at the stinging pain on his cheek. Something inside told him that smart-mouthing to these guys wouldn’t end well, and he listened to it for once, taking this time to get a feel for his surroundings.

They seemed to be in the dungeons, which wasn’t that surprising. The room seemed to be one of their solitary confinement ones, with the metal door without a window and seemingly no other light scouse in sight save for the beam coming through the doorway. His hands were chained tightly to the wall, the metal digging into his skin and he winced, wishing he had continued to ignore the growing discomfort of his wrists. Trying to distract himself, he focused on Andrew, who was speaking to the shorter lady in a harsh tone.

“What do you  _ mean  _ it won’t work?” the man hissed, but the woman didn’t cower back. Something that he, in the smallest bit, could respect.

“We used it on too many people in such a short amount of time.” the woman informed him. “The crystal didn’t have enough energy to recharge and it cracked.”

Andrew looked away, seeming to consider something. “So we need to get her to come back…” he hummed and Varian felt a shiver crawl up his spine when the man’s gaze fell on him and a crazy light came into it. “Which is where you come in, eh buddy?”

\------------

“How much longer do we have?” Arianna asked from her place at the table, resting her head on her hands. She was tired, worried, and stressed beyond anything she had ever imagined, and the decree that the Saporians had just issued did nothing to help.

“It says as long as it takes,” Xavier told her in a solemn voice. “But… Varian might not have as long as it takes.”

“Thank you, Xavier,” the queen sighed. “You may leave now.”

“Of course your majesty,” he said kindly and turned to step out of the room, but paused at the doorway. “Do not lose faith Arianna, he is a strong boy, he won’t give up easily.”

“And neither will we,” she told him, smiling sadly. “But… It doesn’t stop me from worrying that whatever I decide, I’ll be making a huge mistake.”

His aged eyes blurred before he nodded. “But we know that you’ll do your best. And that’s all we can ask.”

“Thank you again, Xavier,” she told him, sighing again. “But… I need some time to think.”

\----------

Everything hurt.

He wasn’t sure how long it had been since the Saporians had captured him, but it seemed like an eternity. Endless days of torturing him for answers until he caved. He hated himself for that. He always ended up croaking out the knowledge he tried keeping inside, he really did, but it was  _ so hard. _ They wouldn’t stop until he did, cleaning and bandaging him up. They would go through it almost every day, mostly with Andrew, sometimes with the other Saporians, but they never just decided to let him die after they got what they wanted.

And he hated how reliable they had been. Never hurting him if he obeyed, letting him heal after the sessions, and he hated it. They kept telling him that he was just making things worse for everyone by resisting. But he never told them at the first go. No matter how much he wished for a single day without pain. There was no telling what they might do with the information. It could make things even more difficult for Arianna to take back the kingdom, and that’s something he couldn’t live with. 

He wasn’t even sure if he was going to come out of this alive. Andrew had made it especially clear that if he ever got notice of an escape attempt, Varian would be dead within the hour. But it’s not like the boy could escape on his own, they had already crushed his ability to move. In both literal and figurative sense. He still had nightmares of the hammer coming down on his legs, bones shattering underneath as someone screamed- he wondered if he would ever be able to walk again.

But despite the fact that escaping would be almost like he was driving the knife into his own heart, he couldn’t help but hope that the queen would save him one day. However there had been almost 46 questionings during his time in the dark and the only people to step through the threshold were either a Saporian, or a medic Andrew had hired, not being equipped enough to handle some of Varian's more serious wounds. The doctors had barely been able to disinfect his back before getting hauled out of the castle.

He had once told Andrew that someone was going to come. It had been one of his last acts of bravo down here before the man had only laughed, claiming that the queen had received a message months ago stating that if she wanted him, she should have Varian, but it had seemed as if she just… didn’t. 

Varian hadn’t wanted to believe it, it just wasn’t possible that Arianna would abandon him. She said that- that it wouldn’t happen again. He had foolishly voiced his disbelief that day, and the boy winced at the phantom pains of the knife slicing around his face. That had certainly been an eventful day. He could still feel the cuts oozing out blood sometimes. 

“One for every betrayal,” he could distantly remember the man telling him over the screams. “You’re lucky I’m not going to cut out your eyes. Maybe next time then.”

He didn’t, thankfully, but 5 sessions ago had come awfully close, Varian had just barely managed to cough out the recipe for the Flynolium before the knife stopped centimeters away from it. It had been one of the more brutal events, Andrew seeming to need that information above most of the others. 

It scared Varian to think about what the kingdom thought of him now, Andrew probably making a show to tell them how much he had gained from the alchemist. Did they hate him for it? Did they think that he gladly gave himself over to the separatists? Would- would they even take him out of prison if they reclaimed the castle?

He was jerked from his thoughts as the door creaked open, shining a small stream of light onto him. “Good morning.” he heard Andrew greet as the door shut closed, the light being cut off. He cracked one of his eyes open, the other being too swollen to be usable. Andrew was standing over his slumped form, carrying a small tray of crackers, cheese, and water. It wasn’t much, but Varian had learned to take what he could get.

“I said, ‘good morning.’ Aren’t you going to say it back?” The man asked and Varian quickly forced out a hoarse greeting to him. He figured it might be nice not to tick the man off today, but there was only so much he could do, being tied to the wall and all that.

They had switched his restraints from chains to ropes a few sessions ago, as it made it easier for them to jostle him around without the metal getting in the way. It had plus sides for Varian too, being easier to be removed and loosened, but that was about it. At least they hadn’t decided to use wire- though it had been mentioned multiple times- yet.

“We’re taking you outside today,” Andrew told him, placing the tray of food down on the floor and Varian’s heart leaped. They- they were going out? “I bet you’re happy about that, aren’t you?” he asked the boy, holding up the cup of water for him to sip out of.

When he was done drinking, Varian swallowed the water briefly before speaking. “I- we are?” he couldn’t help keep the relief from his voice. He had been down here in the dungeons for so long, he wasn’t ashamed to admit that he was growing tired of the dark, but he knew there was always a catch. The last time he thought Andrew was being nice… “Why?”

“Oh I just thought that the citizens might like a view of what’s to come if they don’t cooperate.” the man voiced bluntly and Varian went into a fight-or-flight mode, attempting to scoot as far back as he could. It sent white-hot pain up his legs and he bit his lip to keep from crying out. This didn’t seem to bother the man however as the boy saw Andrew’s hand reach behind his back and grabbed a hold of the child’s bound wrists, dragging him backwards down the hall, not even caring about the un-touched plate of food that was still inside the cell.

His legs screamed at him as Varian half-heartedly struggled against the man, bare ankles rubbing uncomfortably against the rope securing them to each other. He bit his lip to stop the scream as he was hauled up the dungeon stairway, legs limply knocking against the stone floor. He tried stiffening them to keep them off the ground, but after almost 3 weeks without walking, his muscles shrieked in protest against it and he had to lay still.

They come through the path that was so familiar, but after a bit, Varian began to hate how the separatist would be taking this from him too. This route was supposed to bring him happiness and security- not pain. Andrew didn’t care though as the ropes around his arms tightened when the man readjusted his grip. The windows shone with the morning rays of the sun, and staring out at the sunrise, he was granted a momentary feeling of peace at the beauty of it. It was crazy trying to think back for the last time he was able to see it, it probably being around the same time as his arrest…

He often wondered if he could ever forgive himself for attacking the kingdom. There were times when he would think back and wonder how he would have handled things differently- without violence. He once asked Arianna what he should’ve done, and she hadn’t answered him for a good two days before admitting that there wasn’t much else a 14-year-old kid could do, being chased around the kingdom like a fox in a hunt.

After the king had finally apologized for that, 7 days before the trial, Varian finally started to feel like they all could put it behind them. Maybe not completely forgiving each other, but learning that no one was faultless and that in time, perhaps they could forgive each other.

But at the moment, being dragged off to some unknown fate, he couldn’t really see how.

When he was finally flown out the giant entrance doors of the palace, he was a bit surprised to see how terrible the kingdom looked. Faint trails of smoke rose from off some of the houses while he could faintly hear the screaming in his legs, someone harshly whispering to another before shushing them and going silent.

It was practically the most he could make up of it all before he was hauled to his feet again, biting his lip when weight pushed down on his shattered legs. His vision blacked-out for a moment before he suddenly felt his restraints around his wrists being readjusted, coming off and momentarily giving him the smallest bit of relief before being pulled behind a rough wooden post. He couldn’t see much, but the way Andrew tied the knot and its inability to sink lower on the wood, it must’ve gone through a metal loop of some sort.

His ankles received similar treatment, and he let out a small whimper at the pain standing up caused him. His legs felt like they were on fire and he couldn’t resist wincing when his eye, at last, drifted to examine them. He had been trying to avoid it, knowing there wasn’t much he could do to heal them.

His pants were torn and stained red, but they did a some-what well job of hiding the skin underneath. His bare feet were twisted at an unnatural angle, most-likely beyond repair. Underneath the torn cloth, he could see black and purple bruises showing through, large and sensitive. It scared him to think about whether or not he would ever walk upright again.

He could barely pay attention to the Saporian leader speaking beside him, murmurs of a large crowd below them in the courtyard. What Andrew might be speaking of, he didn’t know, but then he felt the man’s bruising grip appear on his shoulder and he instinctively flinched, squeezing his eyes closed as if that would make the Saporian leave him alone.

He peeked his good eye open, the blinding light of the sun shining down on his face but he did his best to see what was happening. He could see the blurry figures of the rest of the Saporians standing behind their leader, tall and proud. Andrew was holding a glittering vial that held… a beetle? What was going on?

“... Its bite claims to send the victim into shock- depending on how stable their reaction to the sting is- some people have even been shown to be allergic to it!” Andrew was speaking now, thumb rubbing painful circles on the boy’s thin arm. Varian was distantly reminded of when his dad used to take him to the vet to receive flu shots for the year, and he wouldn’t be surprised if he  _ was _ going to receive a shot- probably another toxin or something- but he couldn’t see any syringe insight.

As he searched for what might be in store for him, he missed the loud protests from the crowd as Andrew shook the vial in his hand once- then twice- before flicking open the lid and pressing the opening to his skin where he had previously been gripping.

Varian’s eyes flew open in fear and confusion as the large black beetle crawled down to the exit, large pinchers raised in an angry and infuriated form. Varian jerked his head away from it, feeling anxiety welling up inside him and instead looking up at Andrew for some sort of explanation on what he was doing. However, before anything else could happen, he felt the sharp pain of  _ something _ being inserted into his flesh. A small, white-hot needle that caused a yelp of shock and pain to escape his lips.

It seemed as if his entire arm was inserted into a furnace and left to simmer. His left arm spasmed uncontrollably as the beetle- no- he could make out what it was now- an  _ ant’s _ venom was pushed through his bloodstream. He expected the ant’s pinches to come out soon, silently begging with all he had that it would just  _ leave- _ but it didn’t. It stayed inside of him, sending wave after wave of indescribable agony into his limbs.

His eyes went wild, scanning for something  _ else- _ something to distract him from the pain- his wrists? No- they- they were shaking as well- not- not his legs, they were giving out under him- what else-

And then something hit the stage next to him, the sound of glass scattering across the area as green smoke filled his vision. It rose off the floor, some entering his mouth and he coughed violently, hearing a similar thing happen to Andrew, who dropped the vial, the ant finally falling out of him.

The sudden exit of the ant’s pinchers caused him to gasp out in pain, inhaling more of the sickeningly familiar green smoke. He felt a wave of exhaustion overwhelm his senses, washing over the pain of the venom, but it only led him to thrash out more, fighting both the gas and his restraints at the same time. At the moment, the only thing that registered in his mind was that he could  _ escape- _ Andrew and the others were down! All he had to do was get out of these ropes and-

A cry of surprise flew out of his mouth as the ropes around his wrists flew apart- a wickedly sharp dagger cutting through them like butter. The sudden release of his upper body sent him falling forward, screaming in pain as his ankles- still tied to the post- refused to stumble forward and the weight of him fully standing on them sent fresh tears into his eyes at the pain. He would’ve fallen forward, but a large hand stopped him from going any further.

Before he knew it, his legs were, at last, free and he could finally fall to the ground, left arm still twitching from the venom still coursing through it. He tried to distract himself from it once more, and it was almost too easy with his head feeling faint from the gas around him. 

He could hear loud voices shouting at each other through the chaos, Andrew’s fading voice demanding for Varian’s location- which was strange- hadn’t he stayed close to the pole? Why did-

He was interrupted from his thoughts from a yelp when his legs exploded into pain once more. Large arms were holding his frail form to them securely as both he and his rescuer burst out of the green cloud.

His mind went into a panic. Who was this person? What was going on? “L-Let go!” he demanded, using everything he had to push himself away from them. It didn’t work much, his body still very much weak from dehydration and malnutrition. Not to mention the feeling in his hands just beginning to return.

“It’s okay son, you’re safe now.” a strikingly familiar gentle voice entered into his ringing ear and his thoughts screeched to a halt. No- Was it really-?

“D-dad?” Varian hesitantly voiced out as his father dashed them into an empty alleyway. Shadows covered them as Quirin laid him gently behind a wooden crate, hiding them from immediate view of the street.

And by almighty, it  _ was _ him- looking exhausted and concerned as heck, but kneeling down beside him and smiling slightly as his son tried to make sense of it all.

“Varian...” Quirin reached out his hand, cupping his son’s bloody cheek as his eyes glazed over. “I’m here, you- you’re going to be okay now.”

“B-But the amber-” Varian stuttered, dropping his father’s gaze for a moment before meeting it again. He took his right arm and latched onto his father’s tightly as if letting go would allow Quirin to disappear from him again. “How- how did you-”

“When the princess returned and saw what was going on…” the father’s gaze clouded over and he frowned slightly. “She had apparently found a way to melt the amber on the road and freed me but-” he bit his lip. “-In the weeks that followed- we couldn’t find out how to break the Saporian’s defenses and get to you and- Varian I worried that- that you might-” he stopped when he saw Varian’s face scrunch up in pain and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. “Varian are you alright? What’s-” his gaze fell on the red, angry bite-mark showing on his son’s shoulder and he felt growing anger for the separatists inside him. How could any group of people look at his son’s pain as a way to ‘teach him a lesson.’ It was unthinkable.

“Dad-” Varian’s shaky voice came out as he opened his better eye and the father watched his son with growing concern. “Is- Is Arianna alright? What about the- the king? How long was I-” his questions trailed off, his arm still twitching and he rested his head on the wall behind him and his eyes drifted, almost closed- but not quite- the boy was exhausted both mentally and physically, but only now had his adrenaline finally run low. “Does... the princess still hate me?”

Quirin smiled fondly, glad his son’s curious nature was still intact. “No. No one hates you son, they all know how hard you fought to make things right.” he brushed his thumb over his child’s multiple scabs from cuts on his face- those would have to be treated once they re-took the castle. “And Arianna’s fine, as for the other questions…” he hesitated. “We’ll talk when you wake up, alright?” he compromised, seeing Varian’s eyes close almost immediately, the teen nodding as he went to sleep.

“Mhm… ‘night daddy…” Varian mumbled, his grip on the man’s arms loosening. “You’ll… stay with me, right? I… I don’t want you to leave…”

Quirin smiled, gently taking his hand away from Varian’s face and scooping him up into his arms. He pushed his back behind the crate, briefly looking out the mouth of the alley to see if anyone was coming. Where there wasn’t, he turned back to Varian and he felt a peace finally settle on him- one that he hadn’t felt since learning of his son’s capture and Fredrick’s public execution.

“Of course Varian,” he answered, a huge weight being lifted off his shoulders as he lightly brushed Varian’s long, messy bangs out of his face. “I’m not going anywhere.”


End file.
